Simplicity
by NetRover
Summary: It's amazing how the simplest conversation can be the only thing a heavy heart needs. ShigeruKazuma friendship or implied shounenai, it can be either. Don't like, don't read. Rating's just for safety R&R please!


**Disclaimer: **I don't claim ownership to Yakitate! Japan not its characters. I only own this fictional story based of the anime and manga.

**A/N: **Read my profile if you want to know where I've been. I'm really sorry for the two year absence, but I swear that I'm already in the process of recovering the files of my chaptered fics. Meanwhile, enjoy the one-shot fics (they may or may not have sequels: depends on the reviews) that I will be making to at least update my account while I'm recovering my files from the other computer.

Anyway, Yakitate! Japan is one of the most recent additions to my fandoms, so I decided that it'll be best to start of my one-shot fic installs on this anime.

**Warnings: **This fic focuses on the **relationship between Azuma Kazuma and Kanmuri Shigeru, and can be taken either as friendship or lightly implied shounen-ai. **I encourage reviews, but if you're planning to write complaints and flames about the pairing, then don't waste your time since the warning has already been put up. If you don't like this pairing, then don't read this fic. It's as simple as that.

Oh, and another thing, there are **spoilers** here on Shigeru's heritage, in case you haven't watched the fansubs yet. :)

Well, now that the warning's out of the way, I'd like to explain a bit on why I'm writing this fic. First and foremost, I find this pairing to be neglected since there's no mention on it at all (from what I've looked up on fansites, that is…), so I wanted to point it out, is all.

Well, since this note is kind of getting long, I'll put the reason as to why I support this pairing at the end of this fic. :D

On with the fic, then! Remember to review :D

**Simplicity**

"Kanmuri?"

Kanmuri Shigeru almost jumped at the familiar yet unexpected voice. It was a few hours after closing time in the Southern Tokyo Branch, and company wasn't normally expected at this time of night.

'_And yet, Azuma-kun never does go with the norm._' he thought, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Ne, Kanmuri?" Kazuma called again when Shigeru didn't answer.

"Nande, Azuma-kun?" he replied, turning away from his laptop to face his younger friend, realizing that the prominent pink headband didn't adorn the bread artisan's dark locks of hair.

"What are you doing here so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Azuma-kun." Shigeru stated, avoiding the question.

In truth, he was worried about the next battle with his half-brother. Tsutsumi Masanobu was definitely no joke, considering that he both was chosen by St. Pierre to compete, and the fact that he was the first Japanese to ever be selected as the Austrian Court Chef. With qualifications like that, it was possible that even Azuma would have trouble with him.

"You know," Kazuma started, pulling up a chair to sit beside the Harvard graduate. "Sometimes, I come here to think when I'm bothered by something. I guess that you're doing the same thing?"

Shigeru paused to stare at Kazuma before nodding his head as in affirmative.

"You?" he asked, baffled. "Since when do you get worried?"

Kazuma chuckled merrily at the obvious bewilderment in his companion's voice before answering.

"When it matters," he stated simply.

Shigeru didn't know what to say to that, but was spared the awkward silence when the other continued.

"I…don't really have anyone to talk to, you know?" Kazuma began. "Everyone thinks of me as a bumbling carefree idiot who's miraculously talented at making bread–don't look at me like that, I know you also thought that before."

"I-I…" Shigeru stuttered, trying to contest what had just been said. "How did you–I mean…"

"I'm not as clueless as everyone thinks," Kazuma grinned, amused at his friend's discomfort. "It's just my personality that makes me seem more oblivious than I really am. I'm oblivious to a certain point, but not so much that I'm completely ignorant."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply–"

"Iie, that's not the point," Kazuma interrupted, waving the apology off. "What I'm trying to say is that just because people think you're one thing, doesn't mean that you really are. Hashiguchi might say that Kanmuri is yakuza, but they can't make Kanmuri yakuza if Kanmuri himself doesn't believe that he is. If Kanmuri says he's a baker, then Kanmuri's a baker! Nothing anyone else can say or do will change that."

"Azuma-kun…" Shigeru breathed, in awe of what his young friend just said, then chuckled lightly. "You seem to be surprising me a lot tonight."

"Well that's because of my Azuma-ism!" Kazuma explained, changing back into the happy-go-lucky persona he was known for. "You think one way, I think another, guaranteed!"

Shigeru couldn't help but burst out laughing at Kazuma's statement and sudden change of personality.

"That's better," Kazuma smiled, easily fitting back into the serene mood their environment gave them.

It took the older teen a few moments to regain his composure before replying.

"Arigato, Azuma-kun," he said, a smile matching the other's settling on his face. "I feel better now."

"No problem," the other replied, his smile getting impossibly wider. "If you go into a match with a heavy heart, it's like saying that you'll compete for the sake of putting on a show, but won't really put anything into it. If you go with a light heart, however, then you can compete to your full abilities since you don't get distracted by your pessimistic thoughts. So, your chances of winning go way up!"

Shigeru felt as if weights were slowly being taken off his shoulders as his companion spoke, as he was slowly feeling more at ease, and yet one heavy load still remained as he remembered one crucial fact.

"Un, demo…that still doesn't change the fact that we're fighting a jam battle against a jam specialist, Azuma-kun," he stated.

"Bah, I thought we cleared that up already?" Kazuma replied, pouting.

"We–we did?" Shigeru asked, taken aback.

"I told you earlier today that I'll do anything and everything to help you get through this!" Kazuma pointed out. "I'm not gonna lose you to the yakuza!"

"Azuma-kun…" Shigeru blushed slightly at his comrade's wording, but smiled nonetheless. "Arigato, it means a lot to me."

"Un," Kazuma replied, standing up. "Let's go, we need a good night's sleep if we're gonna go rhubarb hunting tomorrow."

"How did you–?" Shigeru started, but stopped when Kazuma pointed past his shoulder to his still running laptop.

"I'm not as clueless as you think, remember?" Kazuma said, winking. "Better pack it up."

Shigeru blushed once again as he kept his laptop. Considering that the whole process took a considerate amount of time, he was surprised to find the other teen waiting for him at the door, hands behind his head.

"You really expect me to let you walk home alone at this time of night?" Kazuma smiled. "My sister would kill me if she found out."

"Well, we wouldn't want that, would we?" Shigeru teased, grinning right back as they walked out of the store. "At least not before the jam battle, after that though–"

"After all I've done for you tonight, this is how you treat me?" Kazuma pouted as he crossed his arms, playing along. "See if I ever give you advice again!"

They both laughed openly, with Shigeru now mostly at ease with the situation presented to Team Pantasia. As they walked in comfortable silence though, Shigeru suddenly remembered an untouched area of their conversation.

"Ne, Azuma-kun?" he started, subconsciously imitating the other's earlier approach to starting their conversation.

"Hn?" replied the shorter one, his eyes half-lidded as he looked up at the stars as they strode along.

"About what you said earlier…" Shigeru continued, glancing at the other from the corner of his eyes. "I just want you to know…that you can always come to me when you need to talk to someone."

Kazuma eyes widened as he turned to look at the older teen, pausing in his step, forcing the other to momentarily stop as well. Shigeru then watched as real happiness sparkled in the chocolate-brown eyes.

"Aa," Kazuma replied, a serene smile on his face. "I'd like that, Kanmuri."

"Shigeru."

"Gomen?" Kazuma asked, cocking his head.

"I-I mean," Shigeru explained, not knowing why he suddenly blurted that out, yet feeling no regret at all. "Call me Shigeru."

Kazuma smiled once again in understanding and replied.

"Un, Shigeru," he said, testing the name. "But only if you call me Kazuma."

At that statement, Shigeru returned the smile with a nod.

"Hai, Kazuma-kun."

-------------------

**A/N: **Gah! I CAN NOT write short fics. On the other hand…Yay! I actually have a finished fic :D

Lemme see…ther're lines in this fic borrowed and slightly altered from the actual manga: the one where Kazuma tells Shigeru that he's gonna help him and won't let him go to the yakuza and Shigeru thanks him. Oh, and the term **Azuma-ism **is borrowed from the Anime-Empire fansubs. It's what they call Azuma's…er…different way of thinking in the anime. :D Oh yeah, you know the part where Kazuma says 'Kanmuri' a lot? It might sound redundant in english, but not so much in a Japanese conversation.

**Japanese translations as they're used in the fic:**

**Nande – **What is it?

**Iie – **No

**Yakuza – **a thug

**Arigato – **Thank you

**Demo – **but

**Gomen? – **I'm sorry?

**In case you guys don't get the last part: **In Japan, it is common to call another by their last name, one only addresses another by their given name/first name if you are either older, superior, or very familiar to that person. (Source: Wikipedia. Just go there and type in 'Japanese names' and then click 'customs')

What was I going to do again? Oh yeah, why I support ShigeKazu/KazuShige pairing…well, basically because I just find them to be a really kawaii pair, especially in the Yakitate! 9 arc in which the two of them are practically doing all the work. (No offense to Kawachi fans! I like him too but you gotta admit that he _is _practically useless in that arc.) Oh, and let's point out that Shigeru is practically wrapped around Kazuma's finger, but Kazuma doesn't notice it:D I just find it fun to watch Shigeru agree and be amazed at almost anything Kazuma says and supports it 100 percent.

Anyway, how was the fic? I'm kinda worried since I'm used to taking my time and going over every excruciating detail with my chaptered fics, hehehe. Should I continue writing for this fandom? Please review! Thanks a lot :D


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